1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) networks.
2. Background Art
A hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network is a network that combines fiber optical lines and coaxial cables. HFC networks are commonly used by cable television (CATV) operators to provide television and high-speed data access.
A Passive Optical Network (PON) is a single, shared optical fiber that uses inexpensive optical splitters to divide a single fiber into separate strands feeding individual subscribers. An Ethernet PON (EPON) is a PON based on the Ethernet standard. EPONs provide simple, easy-to-manage connectivity to Ethernet-based, IP equipment, both at customer premises and at the central office. As with other Gigabit Ethernet media, EPONs are well-suited to carry packetized traffic.
Today, HFC networks commonly include PON (e.g., EPON) spans. The PON spans may extend all the way to the network subscribers in the case of fiber to the home (FTTH) optical network units (ONUs), for example, or connect to coaxial spans that reach the subscribers, in the case of standard cable modems (CMs).
The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Generally, the drawing in which an element first appears is typically indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.